Something Lost, Something Found
by Tensleep
Summary: NittanyLizard coined it best: “Dumpster diving: the frugal man's way to shop.” March '09 WSOTT Rumble contribution.


Another WSOTT rumble contribution. March '09 contribution to the prompt of "Treasures by the Trash." Now, this one I'm sure went unbeta'd, so I take all blame there.

Disclaimer: The usual

Something Lost, Something Found  
By Tensleep

Sometimes, I honestly wanted to kill my best friend. He was usually pretty great to hang around, but lately he'd been pretty distracted, distracted enough so this was the second set of invoices he'd thrown out in the past month. Jack was usually pretty easy going for a boss, but if he had to re-order them again, he was going to have our hides. So that was why the pair of us were in the dumpster behind the DX, digging through every bit of dirty, grimy, sticky, and reeking piece of garbage in the container. It was slow going and we were about half way down already. If we didn't find those invoices before we hit the bottom, I was going to be some pissed.

"I swear to you, Soda, if those invoices aren't in here..."

"Where else could they be?" Soda asked, pushing his bangs out of his face with the crook of his arm.

Good question.

"I mean, everything else I put in the garbage ended up out here," Soda explained, holding up an empty oil tin. "The bag should be right on top. I mean, it was only last night."

"Well, last night isn't this morning," I pointed out, digging another bag out and ripping it open.

"Maybe the bag fell behind the dumpster," Soda suggested, jumping out to check while I dug through the bag in my hands.

I was pretty sure this wasn't from our place when I came across the party supplies – crumpled streamers, a ripped banner and a ton of brightly colored paper. I was sure someone around here had a real good time last night. A better time than we were having today going through mountains of freaking garbage...

"Found them!" Soda crowed from where he was wedged behind the dumpster and the wall. He slid out, holding the open bag up triumphantly.

I sighed in relief. It was about time. Soda grinned at me and showed me a handful of the invoices, just to prove he was right. I nodded and used the side of the dumpster to pull myself over to the edge. I was just about to hop out when I spotted it.

"What do we have here?" I muttered, pulling one of the ripped open bags up to the surface of the dumpster.

In one of the bags I had ripped open was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. At the same time, I knew exactly who would appreciate something like that.

"You know, I saw one of those in a magazine once," Soda commented, leaning on the side of the dumpster. "I thought they were too tacky to really exist."

"It's pretty tacky," I agreed, holding it out for him to hold.

"And you want to take it out of the trash?" Soda asked, not taking it.

"Yeah. Two-Bit's birthday is this weekend. I gotta give him something." I shrugged, waving the item around more insistently.

Soda's face broke out into a large grin as he grabbed the treasure. He twisted it around in his hands, studying it from all angles.

"You know, Steve. I think he's going to love this."

I hopped out of the dumpster and picked up the bag of invoices. "I hope so. Otherwise, I'm never gonna hear the end of it."

"Mind if I go in on this with you?" Soda asked, setting it on his head.

"Why not?" I shrugged. "If he likes it, then we're both good, and if not, we're in the same boat."

"He's going to love this," Soda assured me.

Well, as long as he was sure...

That weekend, I walked into the Curtis' place with a department store bag in my hands. It was the only thing I could find that would fit the present Soda and I had found. It would fool him and that was the point. We couldn't even keep it at Soda's since Two-Bit was a massive snoop when it came to his birthday presents. I think he was getting wise to us, since I could have sworn I saw him in my backyard yesterday. I figured it would serve him right if he managed to get into the house. One or both of my parents would scar him for life. I was proof of that.

Everyone was already eating when I walked in. I wasn't surprised. If you were late, no one waited on you. The same went for gifts. Two-Bit had a couple magazines and a couple decks of cards in front of him, along with a keychain and some smokes. It looked like he really scored this year.

He was the first to look up when I walked in and grinned brightly, bow sitting on his head and all. Yeah, he was going to get a kick out of our gift.

"Hey Stevie! We thought you got rolled by a Soc or something," Two-Bit greeted.

"No, just late. And don't call me Stevie," I told him, ambling into the room.

"It's my birthday. I'll call you whatever I want," Two-Bit dismissed with a wide grin. "Is that for me?"

I rolled my eyes at the hungry look he had for the bag and passed it over to him.

"Now, look at the size of this sucker!" Two-Bit beamed. "This is how you treat a guy on his birthday."

"Don't forget that's from both Steve and me," Soda threw in from where he was squished between Dallas and Pony at the table.

"In that case, they might have even spent money on it," Dallas offered with a smirk when Two-Bit worked to rip all the tape off the bag with more vigour.

Duct tape. We weren't about to make it easy for him to actually get into his present.

"That was a waste of tape," Darry pointed out, staring at the mess Soda and I'd made with that bag. It was a good thing he didn't know where we got the tape. I figured he would soon enough when something else needed to be taped back together around here.

"Glory, Two-Bit," Pony sighed. "You have a switch."

I scowled at the kid. He was always ruining my fun. Two-Bit beamed at him though, reaching into his back pocket for the black handled switchblade he'd recently stolen from the Pickett hardware store. A minute later he had the bag open and was fishing his gift out of the bag with a look of surprise on his face.

"What is it?" Darry asked.

"It's...a lampshade." Two-Bit still had that puzzled expression on his face.

"Not just any lampshade," I pointed out, taking it from him so I could flick the fringe on it. "One of those Hawaiian print ones – just like we saw in that beach movie a few weeks ago."

"Not that this isn't a unique and very...thoughtful gift, but what am I supposed to do with a lampshade, Stevie?" Two-Bit asked, watching as I flicked the fringe. "I don't even own a lamp."

I smirked and promptly dropped it on his head. The sunset on the lamp covered most of his face, the fringe dangling around his upper lip. Still, I could see the smirk on his lips right before everyone started laughing. Two-Bit tipped the shade back so it sat on his head and showed his face. He grinned as he watched everyone at the table sputtering before he joined in. I smiled, watching. I hated to say it, but I owed Soda a big "thank you" for making me go dumpster diving with him.

"Oh, I think it gets better," Two-Bit sputtered out, flipping the shade back over his face so he could make the fringe sway around as he danced in his chair to music the rest of us couldn't hear.

I did laugh then, slumping so that I was holding myself up on the back of Johnny's chair as the kid howled and gripped his sides. I met Soda's look from across the table and I hoped he understood that I was glad we'd gone through the trash together.

If it got laughs like this, we were going to have to treasure hunt in the dumpster more often.

* * *

Ok, this one I remember. It was only a month ago, after all!

Any comments at all are welcome and flames are accepted.

See ya in the funny papers!!!

Tens & Zickachik


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